Dark Fire, Part 1: Unity
by PkmnLegacy
Summary: A new crisis threatens the nation. Will the dexholders be able to unite against the threat, or will it tear them apart? Part 1 of 3 in the Dark Fire trilogy. Features all dexholders from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

_June, 22nd_

_Red has been gone for nearly two months, and I am still sad that he had to leave so shortly after our first kiss. I hope he is alright and will return soon. He said his trip was important, but did not give me many details. I trust he knows what he is doing. Probably just training, but he said something about a rumor..._

_July 15th_

_There are rumors that two different Team Rocket factions are resurfacing. One here in Kanto, one in Johto. Nothing more than rumors so far, though._

_September 19th_

_I found out from Blue that one of the Team Rocket factions is lead by Karen and Will, former apprentices of The Masked Man! She let her tongue slip, talking about the other faction. Silver has gone to investigate if it is lead by his father, and she is worried about him. _

_September 23rd_

_Blue told me that Silver has joined his father in Team Rocket. He wants to help stop the other faction, now called the Masked Rockets. The Masked Rockets have been abducting children to train for them, like the Masked Man did. Blue is still incredibly worried about Silver. After all, he is like a brother to her._

_October 4th_

_Red returned home yesterday! I am on my way to Pallet Town to meet him, right now._

The above were excerpts from the diary of Yellow Caballero.

* * *

**Chapter One**

A surprisingly blue sky and a soft, cool autumn breeze greeted Yellow as she entered Pallet Town, riding on her Dodrio Dody.

"Thank you for carrying me," she told him, slipping off his back and recalling him to his Pokeball. She turned to the two other Pokémon that were following her. "Pika, Chuchu, how do I look? Do you... Do you think I should show off my hair more?"

Both Pikachu nodded in unison. Hesitantly, Yellow removed the straw hat she always wore. She felt nervous and exposed without it, being so used to wearing it. Like a protective shield had been taken away.

"Alright then!" she said, straightening her back, turning towards Red's house. "I'm ready!"

A thousand thoughts ran through her head as she knocked on the wooden door. What if he did not like her anymore? What if he had found someone else? What if-

"Hey Yellow!"

She winced a little and, looking up, met the eyes of the boy she was so in love with. Even though it had been six months since they last met, he had not changed a bit. Then again, she admitted to herself, neither had she.

"Red!" she replied, giving him a wide smile. "Welcome back home!"

"Thanks," he replied, returning the smile. They stood there for a while, watching each other in awkward silence. Pika and Chuchu ran past their legs, entering the house. "Oh, come in."

"Right," she said, following him in through the door.

"You can leave it open," he told her. "It's not too cold, and the house could use a bit of fresh air."

"Haven't your mother been letting some in?" Yellow asked, instantly regretting the question. She did not want to seem too intrusive. Red simply shrugged.

"Well, she's been away for a couple of weeks," he explained. "For work." She nodded, following him into the living room. He sat down in the sofa, indicating for her to join him. After a moments hesitation, she sat down next to him.

"So... Did anything happen while I was gone?" he asked. He was looking at her, giving her a strange feeling that he was examining her, looking for flaws. She shook the feeling off. It was just her usual, anxious self.

"I assume you've heard about Team Rocket returning to Kanto and Johto?" she replied. He frowned and nodded, looking troubled.

"Yes, I saw it on the news. Also, Blue sent me a letter about it," he told her. "She wrote that she's talked to you about it."

"Yes, I told her that Silver can take care of himself. To be honest though, I'm worried too. I know he's mostly there to prevent Giovanni from doing anything _too_ bad, but he also wants revenge on Will and Karen."

Red looked thoughtful for a while, then stretched out his arms and leaned back in the sofa, giving her a smile.

"I hope _you_ haven't been worrying too much about _me_ while I've been gone?"

"Just a bit," she admitted. "I trusted you can take care of yourself. What were you doing on your trip, by the way?"

"I'd rather talk about that later," Red replied, his smile faltering a bit. Yellow frowned. Had something bad happened, that he did not want her to know?

"Pika and Chuchu seems to be in good health," he said, changing the subject. The two Pikachu had fallen asleep in the armchair next to the sofa, and it did not look as if they were about to wake up anytime soon.

"They insisted on running all the way here from Viridian, while I rode on Dody," Yellow replied, smiling fondly.

"Yellow," Red said, suddenly serious. "About what happened with us, before I left.."

She went cold inside, feeling dizzy and nervous. Scared, even.

"Were you serious about what you said?" he asked, glancing at her. "How you feel about me?"

"Red, if you don't-" she started, but he interrupted her.

"How do you feel about me, Yellow?"

"Like I said back then," she whispered, blushing, "I've always admired you, since the first time we met. You are so strong, you always keep your promise, and you never lie. Over time, these feelings... They've grown."

He looked straight into her eyes, smiling.

"My feelings," he said, taking her hand in his, "are the same. Very much so, in fact."

Yellow felt as if a great weight fell from her shoulders. As if the air around her had been heavily polluted, but now cleared up enough to breathe again. She squeezed his hand and smiled, relieved beyond words.

"I have some business to take care of," he told her. "But only here, in Kanto. I don't think I'll be going further away anytime soon. I hope we can meet more often, now?"

"Yes!" Yellow almost shouted, waking Pika from his sleep. The yellow rodent glanced at her, then curled back into a ball and went back to sleep. "I mean yes, of course."

"I have to go meet Bill in Cerulean City tomorrow," Red told her. "How about we get some dinner in Viridian City on Saturday?"

Cerulean. Yellow's insecurity came flooding back as images of a certain gym leader flashed through her mind, but she shook her head mentally. Red had said he liked _her_, not Misty. Her.

"Sure," she said, leaning against him, her head on his shoulder. "When are you going?"

"I was planning on going tomorrow, at lunch. You can stay until then, if you want. In the spare bedroom, of course," he added quickly. "Then we can travel to Viridian together, and I'll take the bus from there. What do you think?"

"I think, she said, closing her eyes, "that sounds perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

"Red, late as always."

Red smiled apologetically at his friend, Green, who was standing next to the bus stop, tapping his foot impatiently. Blue was a bit farther away, talking to Bill and Misty.

"I was with Yellow, and missed the other bus. Sorry."

"Ah, Red, welcome!" Bill yelled, jogging over to them. "Brock and Erika are waiting at my cottage, so let's go."

"My sister is there as well," Green said, in a cold voice. Bill gave Red a nervous grin as Green turned away, and Red could not help but smile at how scared Bill was of the other dexholder.

"It's good to see you again," Misty said, not quite meeting his eyes. Their conversations had been awkward since Red and Yellow had started dating, but they had decided to still be friends.

"You too," Red replied.

"I sense draaama!" Blue shouted, her voice teasing. Red and Misty blushed slightly, while Green simply rolled his eyes, muttering "noisy woman".

They arrived at Bill's cottage after about twenty minutes of walking. After they had said hello to Brock, Erika and Daisy, the latter went to the kitchen to make them all some coffee.

"Okay, here's the deal," Bill said. "I think the Pokémon Association might've been corrupted, or infiltrated, by Team Rocket."

"Which one?" Blue asked quickly.

"The original Team Rocket. The one Silver's in. Maybe even both."

"Based on what?" Green asked, sounding bored. "Got _any_ evidence?"

"Several of the Association members have been working against our attempts to stop Team Rocket from growin'," Bill told him. "Some have even demanded law changes that would benefit Team Rocket directly."

"Benefit them how?" Red asked.

"Well, among other things they want to limit our ability to control cargo moved between Kanto and Johto, claiming it hinders commerce between the two regions. Also, they've been suggesting laws that would make it harder for the police to do their job."

"Have you talked to grandfather about this?" Green asked. Bill shook his head.

"I started feelin' suspicious a few days ago. Professor Oak has been away for a few weeks, with Crystal. I didn't wanna talk about this over the phone."

"Right," Green sighed. "We'll deal with the Association problems when he's back then. Our main priority should be to eliminate both Rocket groups."

"Eliminate?" Blue asked, looking angry. "What do you mean _eliminate_?"

"Shut down, arrest, scatter."

"What about Silver?" Red asked, earning a thankful glance from Blue.

"He's made his choice," Green said, his voice cool. "He knows the consequences."

"We're his friends!" Blue shouted. "I can't believe you!"

"Can't believe what?" came a voice from the door, making them all flinch in surprise. Gold entered the room, giving them a little wave. "Uh, Daisy let me in. Sorry I'm late."

"I can't remember you being invited in the first place," Green replied, frowning.

"I invited him," Red said. Green turned and looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because I knew he would be in Kanto, and I thought his input would be useful."

"So... You're just inviting anyone who _might_ be useful?" Green said, sarcastically. "I'm sure Yellow just _loves_ being excluded then."

"Yellow's different, you know that," Red retorted. "She dislikes fighting. I don't want to involve her any more than needed."

"Gold," Blue said, interrupting the argument. "Do you have any ideas about how we should deal with Team Rocket and Silver?"

Gold stood there for a few seconds, looking thoughtful, before walking around the table, sliding into a seat between Blue and Misty, helping himself to an apple from the small fruit bowl on the table...

"I think we should talk to Silver first," he said. "If that doesn't work... I'm not sure what else to do."

"I've tried," Blue sighed. "He just won't listen."

"Maybe he won't listen to you, since you sound like a concerned big sister?" Red said. "I can go talk to him. Maybe he'll listen more to me."

"Thank you!" Blue replied, giving him a broad smile.

"And if that doesn't work?" Green asked. This time Erika broke the silence, being the first of the gym leaders to speak.

"If that doesn't work, we must attack Team Rocket anyway. We can try to bring Silver back during the fighting as well." There were noises of agreement from most of the people around the table. Red turned to look at his two oldest friends, Blue and Green.

"Well? Sounds like a good compromise?"

"Sure," Blue said, her facial expression less than happy.

"I guess," Green agreed.

"That's it then," Red said, looking at his gathered friends. "The day after tomorrow, I'll go see Silver and talk to him. Hopefully, I'll be able to get him to leave Team Rocket."

"I'll find out where he is, and tell you," Blue said. "I'll give you the location as soon as I know."

"If there's nothing else," Green said, getting to his feet, "I'll be returning to Viridian Gym. There is much to do."

"See ya, Green," Bill said, looking relieved. "If anyone else wanna stay, I think I've got a couple of those inflatable mattresses."

"I've got to get back home," Blue said. Brock and Erika nodded, explaining that they too should return to their respective gyms.

"I'll stay," Gold said, leaning back in the chair. "I just got here anyway."

Red and Misty exchanged a short glance, and Red knew what she wanted. For him to stay in one of her guest rooms, so they could talk. He shook his head slightly, mouthing "not now" to her. He would stay at Bill's cottage as well. He wanted to speak to Gold a bit, then leave early the next morning. Staying with Misty would complicate things, and if Yellow heard about something like that...

"That makes two of us, then," he said. "Thanks for the hospitality, Bill."

"Oh, it's nothing," Bill assured him. "Though if you really _are_ grateful, perhaps you could talk to Green for me? I really can't stand his angry stares..."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Red woke up early. Bill and Daisy were working on something in the adjacent room, and Gold was in the kitchen, helping himself to the contents of Bill's fridge.

He knew he had to go down to Cerulean, to face Misty and talk things through. She would accept that he had chosen Yellow over her, but it was still not a conversation he was looking forward to. Turning his head, he saw Gold approaching him from the kitchen.

"You're awake," the younger boy said, smiling tiredly. "I'd usually sleep longer, but I got too hungry. Didn't get much for dinner last night. Cold pizza?"

Red eyed the plate Gold was offering him, then nodded.

"Yeah. I guess I have to eat _something_," he replied, accepting it.

"Cold pizza is the best breakfast," Gold said, grinning.

"Glad you like it," Bill interjected. "Red, I need to talk to you. In private."

"Sure."

"Hey! Why am I being excluded here?" Gold yelled, his voice slightly muffled by a mouthful of soggy leftover pizza.

"Because this is something I need to talk to Red about, privately," Bill said. Red glanced at Daisy and Gold, then followed Bill out, into the small garden behind the cottage.

"You're not usually this secretive," Red commented, taking a bite from the cold pizza Gold had handed him. Bill shook his head, looking grim.

"Usually, it's not this important."

"So important not even Gold can hear about it?" Red asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Bill replied, hesitating slightly, "I wasn't sure how he'd react to this conversation."

"Tell me."

"You promised Blue you'd talk to Silver for her. What will you do if he refuses to give up?"

"What we decided, of course. Plan B," Red replied with a shrug. "Why?"

"Don't you think it'd be better to defeat him then and there? Turn him over to the police, prevent a drawn out fight?"

"Blue and Gold wouldn't like it," Red said, cocking his head and looking at Bill. The other man met his gaze, but did not waiver.

"I know."

"Which is why you didn't want Gold to hear it. You're not one to recommend something like that, normally. Breaking a promise, betraying a trust? You must be truly serious about this, then?"

"Very. Things are worse than Green and the others wants to admit."

"I'll see what I can do," Red sighed. "No promises. This is something that can't be planned in advance."

"I understand. Just... Be careful. We can't afford you getting hurt or something. Not now."

"Hey, don't worry," Red said, giving him a small smile. "It's me you're talking to!"

* * *

Red found Misty training in the back garden of her gym, but she did not notice him approaching. He had not been there before, so he leaned against a tree, watching her shoot down targets from a distance. Her Pokémon recharged themselves with water supplied from a series of fountains, as well as a pool.

After watching for a while, he decided to talk to her. He stepped out from the shade of the tree, and was quickly forced to dodge an Ice Beam attack. It hit a bush beneath the tree, shattering it promptly.

"Uh, hi," he said, trying to sound less nervous than he was.

"Red! Sorry, I missed my target," Misty replied. "Didn't mean to nearly hit you."

"Right, no problem."

Red scratched the back of his head, looking at the frozen pieces that remained of the bush that had been next to him. He was not sure if it really was a training miss, or a warning of some sort. Something like "tread carefully, trainer Red."

"Red, listen-"

"Misty. Are you okay with what has happened? With me and Yellow, I mean?"

She looked at him, her head tilted slightly to the side. She was biting her lower lip, as if thinking carefully, deeply, about his question. Red knew, however, that she had most likely figured out an answer – and more – several months ago.

"At first, I was mostly surprised," she replied, her voice slightly shaky. "That you chose her, I mean. All things considered... You even thought she was a boy, for quite some time!"

"I had to admit, it took me a while to figure it out. Somewhere along the way, I just realized my emotions. I could figure that out, once I knew who she really was."

"She's cute, strong and caring," Misty said, as they sat down on a bench next to one of the fountains. "Everything you deserve, and want."

"Misty..."

"I know, I have strong points as well," she interrupted. "This particular battle, I lost. My opponent was just... better than me. You know?"

"You see love as a battle?" Red asked, frowning. She avoided his gaze, but he continued. "Listen, Misty. I didn't just choose her over you because she was better. We just happened to-"

"Things like that don't _just_ happen! Things happen because we _choose_ for them to happen!"

"I just want you to understand," Red said in a quiet voice. "I really didn't want to hurt you. I had to choose what felt best."

"Exactly."

They sat there quietly, watching the water Pokémon playing around in the garden. After a while, Red got to his feet and cleared his throat.

"Things are okay between us?" he asked. Misty looked up, paused for a couple of seconds, then nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, they are. As long as you don't start making out in front of me, or anything."

"I'm not suicidal," Red replied, grinning. "How would you like to get some lunch with a very good friend, though?"

"It would be nice, but I don't think Erika's around," she replied, giving him a genuine smile in return.

"Ouch," he answered, laughing. "Forgot how vicious you can be."

"That's what friends are for. Hamburgers it is, and you're paying."

"I'm paying?"

"Yeah. _You're_ the one who invited _me_ to lunch, remember?"


	4. Chapter 4

"_The Goldenrod City Pokémon Center was earlier today the target of a terrorist bombing. An unidentified leader of the Masked Rockets, a Johto-based criminal organization, released a statement, claiming that Kanto-based _Team_ Rocket were behind the attack. The Masked Rockets condemned the attack, saying that "this ruthless act was committed in order to hit one of our members, whom Team Rocket falsely believed to be there, with no regard for civilian collateral damage". No evidence have yet been found to support this claim, but police are looking to-_

The television was turned off. Silver glanced at his father, bracing for the outburst of rage that was sure to come. Instead, his father slumped into one of the black velvet armchairs that circled the wood-and-glass table in the center of the room.

"How _dare_ they," he growled, through gritted teeth. "How dare they claim I would do something like that?"

"Psychological warfare," Silver replied, seating himself in one of the other armchairs. "The public knows Team Rocket has a violent past, so they are trying to turn the public against us by claiming that we-"

"I know that!" Giovanni snarled, punching the armrest of his chair, hard. Silver glanced at his father again. Giovanni had changed a lot during this relatively short conflict. Having to fight another faction of the organization he had created had taken its toll. Gray hairs around his temples, a fresh set of wrinkles, all testified of the pressure on him.

Not only that, but Giovanni's personality had changed, as well. Where he had always kept a cool head before, he was now prone to fits of rage. Strategies changed more often than Silver could keep up, and rational thought seemed lost on the Rocket leader.

"There must be something we can do to reverse the situation," Silver said, desperately trying to come up with something. To strike back using the same methods was out of the question. He would never condone action that would lead to civilian casualties, and much less suggest it himself.

"I'm open to suggestions."

"What if we..." Silver started, before being interrupted by a heavy knock on the door. Just moments later, it opened, and Surge stepped in. Silver and Giovanni both turned to look at him.

"More bad news?" Giovanni asked, his voice weary. Surge shook his head, grinning.

"Actually, ya got a visitor!"

"No visitors," Giovanni said, making a dismissive wave.

"He _insists_," Surge said, stepping aside. Giovanni frowned in annoyance, but did not move. Surge would not disobey a direct order without good reason. His frown turned into a disbelieving scowl as he saw who the visitor was.

"Red," he said, his voice tired. "Long time, no see. How did you find us, and why are you here? Going to try and shut us down again?"

"Not quite," the black haired man replied, entering the room and dropping two Pokéballs between them. Both Silver and Giovanni were on their feet before it hit the floor, but none of them were fast enough. Red's Venusaur was out and attacking before they could react any further. Two vines curled around Silver's arms, while a third constricted Giovanni. A Scyther came from the second Pokéball, snatching Silver's belt, and smashing the release buttons on the three Pokéballs he carried in it.

Giovanni had no Pokémon with him, but he tried to cut off the vine around him with a knife from his belt. Red shook his head, letting the Scyther leap onto one of the armchairs, holding a blade against the mans throat. Its wings shivered, as if in anticipation.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Giovanni snarled. "Arresting us _here_? In the middle of a Team Rocket base?"

"I wish it was that simple," Red said, his voice filled with regret. "I'm not here for the Association, though. I'm here to take control of this organization. Scyther, finish it."

The Scyther gave a low cry, then ended Giovanni's life with a swift cut to the throat. Saur released him, and the body fell to the floor with a dull thud.

"Dad!" Silver screamed, struggling even harder to get loose, kicking and trashing as the vines tightened around his wrists. "Surge! Don't just stand there! Help!"

Surge looked up then, meeting Silvers eyes for the first time since he entered the room. Silver finally understood what had happened. They had been betrayed. Unlikely as it seemed. Red studied him, his face a mask of sympathy and pain.

"It's nothing personal," Red was telling him, as another vine curled around his neck. "I wish there was another way, but this has to be done."

"Why?" Silver gasped, as the vine tightened.

"You wouldn't understand," Red said, shaking his head. "I want you to know this is for a good reason, though. I'm so sorry, Silver. I truly am. If there was any other way..."

"Go to hell," Silver managed, his voice strangely hollow. There was a loud snap, and then Silver fell to the floor next to his father. Red stared at his former friend for a few seconds, then spun around.

"Surge!"

"Yes?" the lieutenant said, taking an involuntary step back. He seemed uneasy, upset. Just as Red would expect from a man who had just betrayed one of his oldest friends.

"You swear loyalty to me and accept me as the new, true leader of Team Rocket?" Red said, his voice sharp.

"I do," Surge replied, inclining his head.

"You're not thinking of taking the title yourself?"

"I was," Surge replied, shrugging. "But it would've been too much responsibility and pressure for my taste. I prefer following a strong leader to leading myself. I will follow your orders, without fail."

Red frowned, slightly taken aback by the honest answer. He had expected a complete denial to be the reply to any such accusation. It did not matter though, an honest answer was better. It showed him where Surge stood in this. He had accepted Red's takeover since he knew Red was stronger, and Giovanni incapable of leading them in this tough time. He could, however, not know the _true_ reason for Red wanting this power.

"I'm glad you said that," Red told him. "I would've hated to have to kill you as well. Janine, you can come down now."

A petite girl fell from the roof, landing next to Surge without a sound. Surge, taken by surprise, jumped backwards, raising his arms to block an attack that never came.

"What-"

"This is Janine," Red told him. "She is the daughter of Koga. You two have probably met before."

"She was a kid then, but yes," Surge said, giving her a smile. "Koga is lucky to have gotten such a beautiful daughter, considering his own looks. Where is he, anyways?"

"My father is dead," Janine said in a cool voice.

"Dead?" Surge replied, sounding shocked. "How?"

"He was killed by the leaders of the Masked Rockets," Red told him, replying in Janine's stead. "Koga tried to stop them from reviving that branch of the organization, so they teamed up and killed him. I met Janine during my recent travels, which is also when I captured this Scyther and decided I needed to take control over Team Rocket to reach my goals."

"Right... So what happens now?"

"You will tell the Team Rocket members the _truth_ of what happened here," Red said, turning to glance at the corpses. "Masked Rocket assassins came here and killed your glorious leader, as well as his son."

"Oh," Surge replied, looking uncomfortable. "_That_ kind of truth."

"The _only_ truth," Red admonished him. "You will also tell them that a new leader exists, but you will not yet reveal my identity."

"I'm sure they'll love that," Surge said in a sarcastic voice. "What about ninja girl here?"

"She'll stay with you while I'm gone."

"Brilliant. Gone _where_, exactly?"

"Let's just call it a... recruitment effort," Red told him, walking towards the door. "Make sure they both get a proper burial."

"Yeah alright," Surge replied, though Red had already exited the room and barely heard him. Red stormed through the corridor, avoiding contact with any Team Rocket members. When he was finally out, and certain that no one could see him, he let the tears flow. He had taken another step towards his destiny, and he was certain it would never get easier. Pulling himself together, he set off to implement the next stage.


	5. Chapter 5

If you had been standing outside Blue's house that day, you would have heard the pained wails of a girl. You would have heard her mourn. You might even have been able to enter the house, warn her not to trust the man who was comforting her. Warn her about the lies he was telling her.

"There, there," Red said,holding Blue close, soothing her. He had just told her how he had been just a _little_ bit late. How the Masked Rocket assassin had finished his work by the time Red entered the room. How SIlver, the man she saw as a brother, was already dead by then, as was his father. How he had _tried_ so hard to save him, but it had been too late.

"I knew something bad would happen," Blue whispered, her voice hoarse from crying. "I just knew it."

"There was nothing you could do," Red said, his voice soft. "Not this time."

"I could've _been_ there, at least. I could've helped, somehow," she replied, burrowing her tear-stained face into his shoulder. Red felt a stab of guilt, but quickly pushed it away. There would be time for that, later.

"There is still something you can do," he told her. She looked up, and he felt the guilt return. Her eyes were red from crying, and smeared makeup covered her face. Would he feel that way if Yellow died? He shook his head. It was a stupid question. Of course he would.

"What?" Blue asked, causing Red to snap back to reality.

"Join me, Blue."

"J-join? What?"

"I'll take over Team Rocket," he said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I'll change their objectives, and I'll use them to destroy the Masked Rockets. We can bring peace and order to the nation, and avenge Silver at the same time!"

Blue stared at him, her mouth hanging open, for what seemed an eternity. For a second, Red was afraid he had acted prematurely. That his offer had come too soon, or that he had said it the wrong way... But then she nodded, her face grim.

"You agree to do as I say?" he asked, making sure to keep his voice steady.

"Yes," she replied. "I'll follow you, and do whatever you say, as long as I can get my hands on Will and Karen and punish them for what they've done!"

"Very good," Red said, giving her a short hug. "You want me to stay for a while longer?"

"It's... It's okay. I might go visit Yellow for a while."

"That's a good idea."

"You know how to contact me."

"Yes," Red replied, getting to his feet. "I'll call you in a week."

She nodded, and he headed for the door. He had just put his hand on the door handle when she called out his name.

"Red?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For coming here to tell me, I mean. You have no idea how much that means to me," she told him. He felt a horrible burning sensation in his throat, as if he was about to throw up. There was a strange feeling of emptiness inside him as he turned around, forcing himself to smile at her.

"No problem," he managed. "Really. Just... Get some rest. I'll talk to you in a week."

* * *

After leaving Blue's house, Red walked around aimlessly for a while. He did not want to return to the Team Rocket headquarters, even though there was so much to be done. The date he had scheduled with Yellow was the next day, as well.

He sat on a park bench for a while, thinking things through. Should he call Yellow and tell her about Silver, or should he let Blue do that? After a couple of seconds, he decided to call her himself. Partially because he wanted to hear her voice, and partially because he was not sure Blue could make herself coherent enough for Yellow to understand what she was saying. He selected the phone function in his Pokégear and dialed her number.

"Hey Red!" came her voice, only a few seconds later.

"Hey Yellow, I need to speak with you."

"What is it? You sound serious... Did something happen?"

_Yeah, I did something so horrible not even _you_ could forgive me_, Red thought to himself. He cleared his throat.

"It's about Silver," he said. "He's dead."

"What?" Yellow gasped. "How?"

"An assassin from the Masked Rockets got to him before I could speak to him about leaving Team Rocket. I just told Blue about it. She said she wanted to be alone, but I figured she would probably call you next. I just figured I'd prepare you for it."

"Prepare? But-"

"You're her best friend, Yellow," Red interrupted. "She'll come to you for support, and I know you will give it to her. We should probably postpone our date until this is dealt with."

"You're right. Yeah. I'll make sure to answer when she calls."

"Good, let me know when you've talked to her."

"Right."

"We should probably keep this line open," he continued. "Talk to you later?"

"Of course," Yellow replied, making an obvious effort at sounding more composed than she was. "I'll call you after I talk to her, then. Goodbye."

"Bye."

He ended the call and sat there for a while, staring at the phone. He realized there was something he should have told Blue, but he did not want to return now, as he would just interrupt her grieving process. Instead, he sent her a text message:

_Blue, do not tell anyone about us and TR, especially not Yellow or Green._

_Would be too difficult to explain to them right now. /Red_

He sat there for a few more minutes, watching the people that walked by. A couple on a date. An old man walking his Pokémon. Children playing. They all seemed so... _normal_. None of them had any idea what a pivotal moment had just taken place, and it was unlikely any of them ever would.

After a while, he got up from the bench. It was time to return to his new headquarters. Surge would have had enough time to organize things for his takeover, and Janine would have had enough time for her own orders - to eliminate any possible threat to him and his new role in the organization.

It was time for the next step.

* * *

Red had been right about Blue calling. Yellow had barely had time to put the phone down before it started ringing again. She picked it up and, despite barely understanding what her older friend was saying, listened patiently. When Blue seemed to be finished, she spoke.

"Listen, Blue," she said. "I can come over if you want. You have a spare bed or something, right?"

"B-but you had your date with Red tomorrow," Blue replied, her voice shaky. "You've been so... so excited. I don't want to-"

"It's okay, Blue. Really. We can reschedule that. _You_ need me _now_, though."

"Y-yeah, thanks. I think I have a spare bed or something. Are you sure-"

"Yes, of course. It's okay. I'll be there, as soon as I can."

They finished their conversation, then Yellow went upstairs to pack her bags. Pika and Chuchu, both still living with her, followed her up the stairs. Yellow picked them both up and hugged them tightly.

"You two want to stay here?" she asked. "You can protect the forest while I'm gone."

She sensed some curiosity in the two Pikachu, so she decided to elaborate.

"Blue needs me," she said. "I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. I'd bring you both with me, but I need someone I can trust to keep an eye on the forest. Will the two of you do that for me?"

The two Pikachu seemed to have noticed her anxiety, and they sent her feelings of reassurance. There was a lot of chaos out there right now, but the forest would not suffer from it. Yellow got to her feet, hoisting the small bag she had shoved some clothing and other essentials in.

"Alright, you two can take care of yourselves," she said, managing a small smile. "I just hope the rest of us can, as well."


	6. Chapter 6

"No eliminations were needed," Janine was telling Red as Surge entered the office. "I'll keep some of them under survelliance, though."

"Good," Red replied. "Keep up the work, we'll have plenty more to deal with soon. Surge?"

Surge waited until Janine had left the office, then leaned against the wall, arms crossed in front of him.

"Eliminations?" he demanded. "What's that about?"

"I gave Janine orders to kill anyone who might turn into a problem later. She didn't find anyone like that, this time."

"This time?" Surge growled. "You can't just go around removing members because they happen to disagree with you! Even if you're the new leader, you should know our members are loyal to the organization and-"

"As loyal as you were to Giovanni and Silver?" Red interrupted, doing his best to look unconcerned. Showing weakness now could get him killed. "We do what we _have_ to do, for the good of the organization. Besides, Janine didn't find any problems. We shouldn't let that distract us now."

"Fair enough."

"I assume you wonder why I called you to this office?"

"_I_ assume you want to know if preparations are going well, for your takeover. They are, by the way."

"Among other things, yes, thank you."

"What other things?"

"One part of the original Team Rocket organization that I intend to keep intact is the system with one leader and three subleaders. I need you to be one of those subleaders, reporting directly to me."

"Three? I assume Janine is one of them, so who's the third?"

"I've convinced Blue to join us. She'll be a good asset," Red replied. "Also, she wants revenge on the Masked Rockets for killing Silver. He was like a brother to her, after all. That'll give her motivation."

"You're colder than I thought," Surge remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Manipulating a girl into working for the man who killed her almost-brother? What's next, drowning Skitty?"

Red's eyes flashed with anger at the remark. Surge almost sounded as if he thought Red had taken _pleasure _from such an act. More than that, it stung because it was technically true. He _had_ manipulated Blue, and if she ever found out she would probably try to kill him.

"I did what I had to," he replied, finally. "Is that a problem?"

"No, sir," Surge replied, giving him a mock salute.

"Not a word to Blue about Silver."

"Of course not. I'll go prepare the briefing room. Most of the higher ranking members have already arrived, and they're getting impatient."

"Do so," Red agreed, nodding. "Send Janine back in, please. She's waiting just outside."

He watched Surge leave the office and its anteroom via a set of survelliance cameras, then turned his attention to Janine, who was standing patiently in front of him, waiting.

"Yes?"

"As I suspected, Surge is not too happy about the latest turn of events. Plant some bugs in his room and office, just to be safe. I don't want him to become a problem later on."

"He'll be angry when he finds out, don't you think?" Janine replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Angry?" Red replied with a sad smile. "He'll expect it."

"So none of you trust eachother."

"We have good reasons not to," Red agreed. "If it ever becomes necessary to kill him, the code word is 'lightswitch'."

"That'd be bad for business. Make it more difficult to control the organization."

"I'd only give the order in an emergency, and I don't think we're likely to have one anytime soon," Red told her in a chiding tone. "Besides, we're all expendable if we have to. Right?"

Janine cocked her head to one side, gazing at her master for a few seconds, before reluctantly nodding. She left the office, without making a sound. Alone at last, Red leaned back in his chair, sighing to himself.

What he had to do was tough, but there was no choice. He also knew he was the only one strong enough to do it. There was a message from Yellow on his Pokégear, explaining that she was leaving to stay with Blue for a couple of days. Taking a deep breath, he returned to his schedule. It was going to be a long, long day.


	7. Chapter 7

"Greetings, high-ranking members of Team Rocket," Red started, smiling out at the five dozen people that were assembled in the room. Surge stood at his side, almost at attention. "Some of you may know who I am, and I am sure _all_ of you are wondering why I am here."

His audience remained completely silent, but he did not let it bother him. He would say what he had to say, and deal with any problems as they came.

"Team Rocket has long been lurking in the shadows, known only for breaking the law again and again. The general public fears the organization, and the Pokémon Association despises it. This perception has not exactly been improved by the fighting against the Masked Rockets."

"Get to the point!" a fat man at the back of the room snarled. Red blinked, making sure to conceal his annoyance, then nodded.

"Very well. I am here to ask you to make me the new leader of Team Rocket," he said. The room quickly filled with angry murmurs, but a most of them looked interested. "Both your founder Giovanni and his son Silver, a friend of mine, were recently killed by Masked Rocket assassins. This leaves a power vacuum, which I am offering to fill. By changing the general view of the-"

"You mean you've come here to take over and change Team Rocket to suit your needs," one of the audience members interrupted. Red recognized him from one of the files Surge had supplied him with before the meeting, thanks to the bushy eyebrows and scarred face. This was one of the most important men in the organisation. "Why would we let you?"

"Because you will agree that my changes are for the better. If Team Rocket stops creating chaos and starts working for order in the regions, we will become more popular. The Association will not be able to antagonize us as easily. Our power will _grow_, along with your profits," he explained. By using the word _us_ about the organisation, he was creating a sense of connection between them. By using _your_ when talking about the possible profits, he made it sound as if they were the one that would benefit most from the relationship.

"Ah," the man with the eyebrows said, "and how exactly would you accomplish this change?"

"First, we need to wipe out the Masked Rockets. They are the main reason for our problems in Johto, right?"

"Indeed, they are," an older man near the side of the room sighed loudly. "Business has been really slow there lately. We've had to cut down greatly on costs. I can barely afford my weekly lobster dinner anymore!"

There were some polite chuckles, and Red understood why. This old man was another of the more important members. Red smiled at him, grateful at how the joke had drained some of the tension from the room.

"Giovanni held back against the Masked Rockets, generally preferring defense over offense," Red told them. "I have read the files with his plans. "I believe in another approach. If we destroy their command structure, many of the grunts can probably be persuaded to join _us_ instead. Our organisation would grow, and a major threat would be gone. Do you have any further questions?"

When no one replied, Red stepped back and let Surge take the lead. The murmurs around the room quickly died down as Surge cleared his throat.

"Alright, all ready to vote?" Surge asked. Red himself had told Surge to lead the vote, as it would make it seem more legitimate. With a strong show of support from Surge, more people would also be willing to back him. "First vote! All in favor of Red becoming the new leader of Team Rocket, raise your arms!"

Several arms shot up right away, among them the small smuggler. The man with the thick eyebrows whispered something to the man next to him, then raised his arm a few seconds later. Others quickly followed his lead, obviously under the mans influence. When he saw the results, Red had to work hard not to laugh out loud. The results were in his favor by fifty-six to four. Over ninety percent.

"Change in leadership has been approved," Surge was saying. "Next vote..."

Red did not listen too much to the rest of the meeting. None of the other votes mattered. The second phase of his plan was complete. So far, he was winning.

* * *

"You _do_ realize your majority vote will disappear if what's-his-name withdraws support?" Janine told Red when they were both back in his office. She had attended the meeting as well, hiding behind a screen, quick-killing poison darts ready if needed.

"You mean the eyebrows guy," Red commented, glancing at her. "His name is Dess. He seems especially popular with the Johto members. Almost half of my votes were thanks to him, it seems."

"That might become a problem. What if he tries to wrestle control from you once you've rid them of the Masked Rockets?"

"Oh, I'm counting on that," Red told her, with a humorless grin. "Team Rocket members are often predictable, at least. If you have any other concerns, please share them. I try to think of everything, but any help is welcome."

"I will," she promised. "As I am sure Surge will, as well."

"What?" Surge said, snapping back to reality. He had been standing by the window, staring out while deep in thought. A moment later, he seemed to realize what the question had been, and nodded. "Yes, of course."

"I got a message from Blue earlier," Red told him. "I'm picking her up tomorrow, so prepare a room for her somewhere in the base. Put in some basic furniture, make it seem a bit homely."

"Sure," Surge said. "I'll do it after my smoke break."

"That'll be fine," Red told him, nodding. Surge took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and went to find a designated smoking area. It wasn't that Team Rocket cared much about smoking indoors or not, but there were a lot of labs in the building. Some of them had experiments that could wipe out part of the city if something went wrong, so it would be stupid to take any risks. When Red was certain that Surge was out of hearing distance, he turned to Janine.

"I hope my mission is more interesting than interior decorating," she said dryly.

"It is. I want you to deliver a message to the Masked Rockets. Tell them to surrender to us right away and give us all their assets."

"You're joking," Janine said, clearly astonished.

"Not at all," Red assured her. "I need to find out how they answer that. It'll help when planning our moves against them."

"I can already tell you how they will answer. They'll cut my throat! If I can even get close enough for that! Besides, we don't even know where their headquarters are."

"I don't think they will kill you, but if you distrust that you can bring a grunt, send him instead. As for the base, I'll give you a map."

"Map? You know where their base is? How?"

"I have a few ways to get information," Red replied, shrugging non-committedly. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't know what I'm doing, right?"

"I guess," Janine replied, frowning. "Very well, I'll bring a couple of grunts and check it out."

"I'm looking forward to your return," Red told her, producing an item from his pocket and handing it to her. "The map is on this datacard. There are also lists of who should be at that base, which rank they have, and some other useful information."

"Impressive. And you're not just trying to get rid of me?"

"Why would I do that?" Red laughed, genuinely surprised. "Besides, if I wanted to get rid of you I'd do it myself. Not trust some incompetent fools with it. Don't worry so much, you're coming across as paranoid."

"Well, you're not exactly being truthful to everyone else, are you?" she retorted. Red looked angry for a second, but then laughed.

"You got me there," he admitted. "But I only lie when I really have to. Everything I do is for a reason, as you know."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be going then," she said, turning around and exiting the office. Just before she disappered around the corner, she added, just loud enough for Red to hear: "I just hope you know what you're doing."


	8. Chapter 8

_Three days later..._

"Red, this restaurant is expensive," Yellow say saying, frowning at the menu. "You sure it's okay for you to pay?"

"It's not _that_ expensive," Red replied, truthfully. The restaurant _was_ out of their regular budget, but it was not more expensive than most regular restaurants. "My new job pays well, and I still have some royalties left over from being a champion."

"Oh right, you have a new job! You never told me what you do, exactly?"

"Not much to say. It's mostly management, and it has to do with Pokémon. I'm not allowed to speak that much about it, a lot of what they do is top secret."

"As long as you're happy with it," Yellow told him. "I still get most of what I need from just helping around in Viridian. I'm ready to order if you are, by the way."

Red called the waiter over and, after they had placed their orders, returned to the conversation.

"Speaking of Viridian, how's your shelter project going?"

"We've got a private donor now, giving us enough money for materials and hiring if needed," Yellow replied, shrugging. "Most volunteer, though. We've built lots of shelters for sick Pokémon to rest safely in. Not all of them get along well, so I've got to keep the peace at times."

"I imagine you get quite a few fights," Red laughed. "I know you're strong enough to handle it."

"It's not a _big_ problem, really. Pika and Chuchu are helpful when it gets too much."

"Ah, while we're at the topic... I was thinking Pika might stay with you a bit longer, if you want. I've got a new team member, and I'm sure he'd love more time with Chuchu. I'll try to come by and visit more often."

"Yeah!" Yellow replied, smiling wide. "That'd be great!"

Their food arrived, and they ate in silence for a while. Yellow had a question she wanted to ask, but she was not sure how to put it. After a while, she decided to just say it.

"Red?" she said, looking up to find him already looking at her. She blushed slightly, but he gave her a nod and a muffled "Yes?" through a mouthful of potato. "Will you keep living with your mom, or are you planning on moving now that you've got a job?"

Red swallowed the food he had in his mouth and looked thoughtful for a while.

"Actually, she'll be working abroad for a few months, in some place called Unova. Her employer is renting an apartment for her there, so I'll take care of the house in Pallet Town until she returns. After that, I might move somewhere else. I think I'd like to live in Viridian City, close to you and Green."

"That'd be wonderful!" Yellow replied, smiling again. Red felt bad for lying, but Yellow did not have to know that he had made sure his mother got that job, so she would be away for a while. "Red, will you promise me something? That you'll stay in Kanto for a while, now?"

"I already said I would, didn't I?" Red told her, returning the smile. "You don't have to worry, I'll stay for quite a while. Besides, I've got to stay here if I'm to take care of the house."

"Yeah."

"Besides, most of my work is here in Kanto. I won't have to leave for that either."

"Your work," Yellow repeated. "I wanted to know... Is it dangerous?"

"It can be. Everything has _some_ risk, and this is worth it," Red replied. When Yellow looked worried, he bit his lower lip, thinking. "Listen, Yellow. It'll be already. I promise I won't let anything bad happen, okay? As you said, I don't lie to you."

"After the first time we met, you said you'd come back to Viridian to do the gym leader test," Yellow mumbled. She looked up, meeting his eyes. "You did that. You kept the promise, despite not even knowing me then. You've never broken a promise to me. That's why I'll trust you now, as well. It's why I lo... It's why I like you."

Red smiled widely at this, and Yellow felt her cheeks heating up. Not wanting to linger on the subject, Yellow quickly started talking about something else. Before they knew it, three hours had passed and the restaurant was closing. As they were walking home, Red slipped his hand into hers, smiling as she glanced up at him.

"Well, here we are," he said as they reached her house. "Goodnight, Yellow."

"Goodnight," she replied, smiling. She turned and started walking towards the door.

"Yellow!" he called out after her. She spun around, too fast, nearly losing her footing. Red was there though, catching her before she fell. She was just about to thank him, when she felt his soft lips brush against hers. "I love you too," he whispered, before taking a step back and turning to leave.

Yellow stood frozen, staring after him as he disappeared into the night. After a couple of minutes, Pika and Chuchu awoke her from the trance, looking worried.

"It's nothing," she assured them. "Nothing, I'm just... I'm very happy, is all."


	9. Chapter 9

"This is not acceptable!"

"At least I made it out alive," Janine retorted, her voice just as angry as Red's. "Unlike the grunt I sent into the base to deliver the message."

Red glared at her for a moment, then sighed and started shuffling around papers on his desk. After a few seconds, he found the one he was looking for, which he handed to Janine.

"Your next assignment is to seek out Masked Rocket bases in Kanto. Surge will then move in with a squad and destroy them," he told her. "That paper I just gave you is a list of suspected enemy bases. Start with those."

"Yes sir," she replied, obviously still annoyed.

"Write a letter to the grunt's family," Red said then, surprising her. "Ask around, see if anyone knows if his family had knowledge of his membership in Team Rocket. If they did, tell them he served loyally. If they didn't, tell them the same, but don't specify which organisation he died for."

"I'll do that right away," Janine said, her expression softening. "But why?"

"Because his family deserves to know. Because he gave his life for us and our cause. Because it's good for morale."

"Alright, alright. I get it."

"Good. I'll be leaving soon to pick up Blue. Tell Surge to make sure nothing is left that could link me to Silver's death."

"I guess the punishment would be severe if he missed a spot?" Janine replied sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. Red frowned at her. Was it possible she was thinking of betraying him? No, of course not. She would gain nothing from that, and she would be breaking her own vow. Someone that put so much faith into honor would never do such a thing. That was probably also the reason she seemed to dislike Surge so much.

"The punishment would suit the mistake," he said finally, trying to sound casual. "After all, mistakes can not be afforded at this time."

When Janine simply nodded, he sent her on her way and left the office to pick up Blue at the nearby bus stop. It was cloudy and dark outside when he exited the base. It was mid-October, after all, and the weather suited the season. By the time he reached their meeting spot, a light rain had started, so he stepped in below the tiny roof that the bus stop offered. It only took a couple of minutes for the bus he was waiting for to arrive.

"Blue, over here!" he called out, waving her over. She jogged over to where he was, pulling a small umbrella from her bag as she did. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed how she was dressed.

"Let's go," she muttered. "I'm eager to start."

"Isn't that cold?" Red asked, eying her outfit. She wore a short, black skirt, dark blue t-shirt and sneakers. It was not exactly what you would expect someone to wear in October.

"It doesn't bother me. Show me the base, and tell me the plan to avenge Silver."

"All things in time," Red chided her. "First, we'll let you put your packing in your room. Second, you should rest. You'll need energy in the days and weeks to come. We need to locate the main Masked Rocket HQ before we can avenge anyone. I've sent agents to deal with that."

"That's fine," Blue replied shortly. "As long as you keep your promise. I can wait."

"I'll do my best to make sure it happens quickly. Now, let's go get your room ready. You'll be staying there for a while, after all."

"Yeah. Thanks."

* * *

The morning light was spilling in through the windows near the roof, casting a blinding glare over parts of the lab,while leaving the rest in darkness.

"Alright, there we go," a voice said, breaking through the silence. The door swung open, revealing a large man with massive muscles and spiked hair, followed by three much smaller figures. "Lock broken, security off."

"Yes sir," one of the smaller figures replied. "Orders?"

"Harry, you guard the door. Ken, Al, search for the device. I'll check the computer for codes, blueprints, stuff like that."

"Yes, Lt. Surge!" the three replied in unison, quickly scrambling to follow their orders. Surge went over to what looked like the main research computer, plugging in the hack device one of Team Rocket's best scientists had built just weeks earlier. It quickly bypassed all security in the computer, hacking the passwords and finally copying the harddrive contents to a disk in the hacking tool.

"Sir, we found what we're here for," Al reported, coming back from a side room. Ken was following him, carrying a small, black box.

"Excellent, let's get out of here," Surge replied, turning around. Harry shook his head furiously, pointing at the door. THere was movement outside, and a man in a very tight labcoat entered before Surge had time to react.

"Hey!" the man yelled. "Who are you?"

"Um, Bob?" Surge replied, giving the man a grin and a shrug.

"I'm professor Birch, and this is _my_ lab!" the man told him, reaching for a Pokéball. Surge was much faster, having his Raichu out before Birch could even reach the ball with his hand.

"Oh no, you don't," Surge told him. Raichu's tail shot out, slashing across Birch's hand. The professor staggered back, gasping in pain. A thundershock followed, knocking him out. Surge carefully stepped over the unconcious body.

"What a bother," he muttered in an annoyed voice.

"The helicopter is here, sir!" Harry shouted from outside.

"Very good," Surge told him. "When we get back, check with Red if he has some new orders. If not, take the weekend off."

"Yes sir!" Al replied happily. "Thank you, sir!"

Surge smiled. Being a leader was easier than it seemed, which was something Red would hopefully figure out soon. Just give a little, and you recieve so much back. Giving bonuses was much better for morale than Red's talk about eliminations. With that thought, he stepped into the helicopter and fell asleep while it carried him back to base.


	10. Chapter 10

"I don't care, I want to know what that component was!"

"Why, Blue? Why is it so important to know right away?" Red sighed, turning to look at her, his swivel-chair creaking as he spun. "I _really_ wanna see this vote."

"Just tell me first, what component did you send Surge to steal last week?" Blue persisted. "That professor guy got hurt, and now Sapphire and Ruby are here, helping Green investigate. Not only that, but Green is getting suspicious about why I won't help him!"

"Green could never understand why we do what we do," Red told her, shrugging. He entered a password on his computer, clicked a few times, then twisted the monitor to face her. "There, read all you want about the component. Just let me watch this, and we can talk after."

He turned back to the newsfeed he had been watching, while Bue read the texts he had brought up on the screen. Most of it made little sense to her, but she thought she got the basics of it. The name that kept coming back, for example: "Mental Control Enhancer". She turned to ask Red about it, but he help up a hand, not even taking his eyes from the feed.

"Wait," he told her. She frowned, wondering how he had known that she was about to ask something. She decided he probably just saw her reflection in the screen. Reluctantly, she leaned in and looked over his shoulder.

"What's so interesting about this?" she mumbled. Red gave a short laugh in response.

"It's a vote about export taxes in Kanto," he explained. "If it gets through, we'll make more money. If it doesn't, we'll know our control in the Pokémon Association needs to improve. Either way, we benefit from knowing how it goes."

"Improve how?"

"By wrestling control of the votes away from people like Professor Oak."

"I didn't know we had anything against him," Blue replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Not personally. He's powerful, though, and works against us. That makes him a problem. He may ruin our plans if he's allowed to retain that power."

"Our plans?"

"Against the Masked Rockets, of course," Red told her, his voice irritated. "Now quiet for a while, my law is next."

"Alright," Blue breathed, leaning in once again to watch.

_ "-eans that the Saffron City stadium wil indeed be rebuilt, to allow training and show battles. Next item on the agenda was suggested by a newer member of the Association counsil, a man called Moore Acrid, from north Kanto._

_ "Mr. Acrid has suggested changes in export and import laws, allowing Kanto to trade with other regions cheaper. He argues that Kanto is underdeveloped compared to Johto, and that this change would help nullify this problem. Some counsil members have argued against this, saying it would be unfair to other regions. Among these opponents is the famous Professor Oak._

_ "Speaking of Samuel Oak, he seems to be involved in a lively discussion with his long time friend and coworker, Bill. They seem to have reached a conclusion, and Bill is typing something into his Pokégear, I wish we could see what..._

_ "Ah, the voting is starting! More than half the members put in votes without hesitation, and the "yes"-side is leading by quite a bit. However, it seems Oak's supporters are just now beginning to place _their_ votes. It is very even, but... Yes, the "no"-side wins by a margin of only two votes!"_

"That's it then," Red said, his voice dry. "We had some bad luck, with many Oak supporters being there for this vote."

"What do you mean?" Blue asked, frowning. She had never bothered to learn the Association voting system much.

"Any other day, less people would have been there," Red told her. "While Oak and Bill have to _ask_ their supporters to attend, our agents are ordered there. Most of the time, this will give us an advantage."

"I understand, I think."

"Good. I want you to select your own team for your first mission. I want you to dig up dirt on Oak and anyone on his side. Check all names with our lists of agents, to make sure you don't target the wrong person. Janine can help you with access codes."

"As you wish," Blue said, giving him a short nod before exiting the room. Red allowed himself a little smile. She had forgotten about her previous concerns, at least for now. She would be able to serve well.

"I just told you," Red sighed. "No activity except one or two guards in the base Silver was killed. It's shut down, it seems. They probably made it into a shrine or something."

"I'd like to investigate it closer."

Red had been allowed almost five minutes of relaxation after sending Blue off on her mission. Now he was staring at the face of his oldest rival, wondering if Green suspected anything. Was that even possible? No, of course not.

"Fine," he said finally. "I'll meet you in Saffron the day after tomorrow, and I'll show you where it is."

"Saturday?" Green asked, looking at his calendar. "Alright, works for me."

"Great, see you soon."

"Yes," Green replied, stretching his arm out to turn off the camera. He hesiated, finger resting on the button. "Oh, Red?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

With that, he left Red staring at a black screen, having ended the call. He sat there for a while, then nodded to himself, and put the lens cap back on the camera. He was careful not to leave any camera that could be remotely accessed uncovered. After all, suspicion was second nature to Green. He also still had that Porygon2, capable of entering and hacking most computer systems. If Green got access to those cameras, and they were not properly covered...

Green would _never_ realise how important Red's plans were for the future of Kanto, Johto, even the entire Pokémon Nation, or maybe the world itself. Nor would he accept Team Rocket being used for this purpose. Red could not fail. Not to anyone, and especially not to Green. There was too much at stake, this time. He could not let friendship get in the way, no matter how much it hurt.

"More important than personal feelings," he mumbled to himself.

"Sorry, what?" Surge asked, having just entered the room. He wore his regular wide grin, but the hair was combed back instead of spiky. A thick scar ran across his face, serving as a memory of some battle during the past couple of years.

"Nothing," Red replied. Surge did not understand either. Not really. "I need you to empty a minor base in Saffron City. Something small, office building or warehouse doesn't matter. Make it look like it might've been where I met Giovanni and Silver."

"We expecting someone?" Surge asked, frowning.

"It's Green," Red told him. "He wants to see where the Masked Rockets killed them. He expects to find clues. I told him the base seemed abandoned, with only a single guard outside."

"So I find a spot, put some furniture in and station a guard at the door?"

"You find a spot in Saffron, furnish it as a Giovanni-era base would look, smash some stuff using Pokémon that the Masked Rockets would use for an assassination, put up a small memorial with some pictures of Giovanni and Silver, and _then_ station a guard outside," Red elaborated.

"Thorough," Surge replied drily. "Why put on such a show? Not ready to kill this one?"

"Killing Green would make the Association fight us much harder, and investigate much deeper," Red told him. "Also, Blue would probably hate me for it. I'm still hoping to turn him."

"Neither Green Oak or his grandpa will support Team Rocket," Surge replied flatly.

"Not as it is now, no," Red agreed.

"As it is _now_? You have changes planned, then?"

"I always have changes planned. Don't worry Surge, there will always be work for you. Team Rocket is not going to disappear, just... transform a bit."

"Into something more legal?"

"The Oak family, the gym leaders... They all follow the law," Red told him. "They have to. By taking further control of the Association, we can form the law and use that to our advantage."

"Clever."

It was, of course, more complicated than that. Red needed _complete_ control of the Association, so he could bring Oak, Bill and others down if needed. If one of them figured out something was wrong too early, investigations could ruin everything. Considering the sloppy work Team Rocket had done in hiding its tracks, bribing and extorting, it was a wonder they were not yet discovered. Red had made some severe changes already, and he would keep doing changes until it was streamlined into perfection.

Once the Association was firmly within his grasp, Red could go through with the final steps of his plan. There would be deaths along the way - all he could do was try and limit the amount. With a sigh, he dismissed Surge and picked up his Pokégear, dialing Blue.

"We have something," he told her. "Meet me in Saffron locale seven, the ready room. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Saffron locale seven was one of many small bases Team Rocket had in Saffron City. After the earlier problems, they had settled for the use of easy-to-hide locations in apartments, cellars and even shops. Having one large base was much more risky, as a raid could destroy so much work. As Sabrina was still the gym leader in the city, larger operations would be few and far between. Having worked so loyally for Giovanni, she might try to oppose the faction if she knew it was running without him.

To add further security, most Team Rocket members only knew about their own home base and one or two more. It would be difficult for any officials to shut Team Rocket down, as they would have to root them out base by base. The only certain way would be to destroy the command chain, meaning they would have to defeat Red, Blue, Surge and Janine. Green was the only trainer that truly worried Red, but only somewhat. He was certain that he could defeat his old rival rather easily, having some aces up his sleeves from his travels.

With a smile, he got up and put his coat on. He figured it was best not to keep Blue waiting. After all, she would hopefully play an important role in the weeks and months to come.


	11. Chapter 11

Blue got to her feet as Red entered the room. Smiling, he gave her a mock salute. She sank back into her chair, returning the smile.

"You're in the top of the organisation, Blue," he told her. "You don't have to stand up for anyone. You know I won't chide you for sitting down while I enter."

"Yet you want me to keep calling you _sir_," Blue retorted, giving him a somewhat sad smile. Red frowned, troubled. While Blue had smiled as often as usual since joining him, there was rarely any true happiness in the smiles. He had expected her to at least _partially_ have moved on from the griefing stage by now.

Then again, it could be a good thing if she had not. As long as she could focus her sadness and anger correctly, it would strengthen her, and be a dangerous weapon. One that was aimed at one of his enemies, and was threatening to go off at any time. One aching for something, _anything_, to do.

"I've got a job for you," he told her. "One involving the Masked Rockets."

"What's it?" Blue replied quickly, enthusiasm evident in her face. Red almost laughed at how eager she was for 'revenge'. Almost.

"They're starting some new major base here in Kanto. Show of force after we shut down their smaller ones, no doubt. Rumors are that it's in Vermillion City, somewhere."

"Vermillion..."

"Surge has, as he is from there, volunteered to assist you with all you need. Rides, a place to sleep, knowledge... You name it. He'll be your subordinate for this particular mission, and Ken, Harry and Al will also be there. You'll get a group of elite grunts for when you've found it, as well."

"Yes sir!" Blue said, giving him a grin that nearly made her look as before.

"Oh, and rumors also say someone high up in the organisation will be there to supervise the project. Will, Karen or someone close to them may be there. Make sure they do not get away."

"You can count on me."

"Of course," Red replied, nodding. "Tell me if you need _anything_, and it's yours. I noticed you only carry five Pokémon now?"

"I left Granbull with my parents," Blue told him. "It's okay though, I can catch a new one."

"You won't have to," Red told her, handing her a Pokéball. "Here."

"A Beedrill?" she asked. "Why a Beedrill?"

"It's a powerfull and well-trained Pokémon," Red replied. "You need another member in your team."

"I had a Weedle once," Blue mumbled, biting her lower lip. "I set it free."

"I remember. I stopped you from tricking a fisherman with it."

Blue smiled at the memory, and for the first time in weeks Red thought he could see some warmth in it. Then it was gone.

"Alright, now get going. I need you to find that base before its set up, and get rid of whatever key person they sent to lead the project."

"Yes sir," Blue repeated, giving him a short nod. As she exited, there was once again a confidence in her steps; something that had been missing ever since the man she had seen as a brother had been killed. Red nodded to himself, and got back to work.

* * *

"You look tired," Yellow said, concern clear in her face. "Are they working you hard at your new job?"

"It's not too bad," Red replied, smiling. "It's mostly the travelling around the region that takes a lot of energy."

"You're not young anymore," Yellow teased. Red laughed, setting his glass down on the table. They both liked to joke about their age difference, small as it was.

"I hoped to stay active at least for a few more years," he replied. "But you're right, I'm no kid anymore. Neither are you, come to think of it. You turn eighteen in less than half a year."

"Yeah, I do. Not that you can tell from my size." She was still nearly a head shorter than most of the dexholders.

"Well, size isn't everything," Red replied with a shrug, causing Yellow to nearly choke on the water she had just taken a mouthful of.

"Sorry," she managed, coughing and laughing at the same time. "I just... That's... That could be misinterpreted." Red grinned, giving her a gentle and playful shove. He was happy that Yellow had made so much progress in overcoming her shyness. He loved seeing her laugh, to share jokes with her.

"We really need to get out more often," Red told her. "I'll try to get a week off from work, stay with Green now that he's back at the gym. He wanted me to go with him to Saffron for something, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind me staying in his guest room later."

Yellow nodded, smiling widely. It was not just for their relationship that Red wanted to stay at Green's place for a while, but Yellow did not need to know that. He _did_ love her, maybe as much as she loved him. Maybe more, who knew? However, he still needed more time before telling her the truth of what was going on in his life. If he stayed in Green's gym he could access his friends computer, plant bugs and maybe even find out..."

"Red! You're spacing out again," Yellow said, her voice slightly disapproving. He snapped back to the then and there, giving her a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff."

"Something more important than me?" Yellow replied, trying to show some faked irritation, and failing badly at it. Red just laughed.

"Nothing's more important," he said, realising he meant it. Despite knowing what he had to do, and why, he was not sure if he could do that if it meant losing her. He looked her in the eyes, realising she was blushing furiously. Yellow still felt embarrased by romantic things like that, but she no longer started stuttering uncontrollably, as she had in the past.

He loved her. He could not... _would_ not deny that. As it was now, though, love was not possible until after he had succeeded in his plans. His needs had to come second, and the good of the people first. He had to focus on his task, no matter what.

"You sure you're okay?" Yellow asked, frowning. She was looking even more worried now. Red felt as if his heart was forcing its way through his throat. He wanted nothing more than to tell her that no, it was not alright, to tell her what was going on, why he was acting like he did, confess what he had done... But he could not. Not yet. She would not understand.

"It's okay," he said instead. "I just need some sleep. I'll see you again in a couple of days, though? I'll try to get next week off."

"Sure," Yellow replied, smiling but not entirely convinced. "Couple of days."


	12. Chapter 12

"No activity for two weeks, you said," Green mumbled, writing something in the small notebook he was carrying around. "Except for the guard at the front door, who ran off quickly when we came."

"No activity while I've been watching," Red replied, without much enthusiasm. "Nor have I heard anything about activity here."

"Well it looks as expected. Damage corresponds to what Team Rocket and Masked Rocket-used Pokémon would leave. However..."

"Problems?" Red asked, raising an eyebrow. "Obviously, they left the room pretty much as it was. Maybe as a shrine, or to show members that doubted their version."

"Someone has been here recently," Green said, meeting his gaze. Red felt a jolt of surprise and annoyance, but quickly composed himself and hoped Green's Golduck was too busy probing for clues to notice.

"Based on what?" Red asked, doing his best not to let his true emotions show in his voice. Green walked over and crouched by a broken table, running his finger across it's surface.

"See? No dust," he said, holding it up for Red to see. "If no one had been here for two weeks, there'd be dust on it."

"So they cleaned it recently," Red sighed. "They have pictures of Silver and Giovanni in here, as well as fresh flowers. Obviously, it's a shrine for their fallen leaders, and they want to keep it clean."

"I would've expected them to have a bigger shrine for Giovanni, though. This is too small, by Team Rocket standards."

"Maybe the gold statue they ordered didn't arrive yet," Red sighed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why do you even care? You said yourself that Silver and Giovanni had to be killed if they didn't give up."

"Three things," Green said, whirling around to meet Red's gaze again, his expression grim. "Firstly, I never expected to _actually_ have to kill Silver, or even Giovanni. Second, I was hoping to find more evidence leading to other bases here. Obviously, they've removed any traces that could be helpful for that. Thirdly, if the Masked Rockets are able to enter a Team Rocket base and assassinate the leaders without that much obvious effort... They must be stronger than we thought. The Association threat assessment agency are going to be kept busy with this."

Red could barely keep the smile from his face, but he forced himself to supress the joy he was feeling, in case Golduck turned its attention his way. He had been worrying about Green somehow finding out what he was up to, but instead he had gotten his rival to focus more on the Masked Rockets and less on his own organisation. It would keep Green busy, and hopefully distract the Masked Rockets as well.

"By the way," he said, changing the subject. "I was wondering if I could stay in a guest room at the gym for the next week or so. I wanted to take some time off work and spend a few days with Yellow."

"Sure," Green said, giving him a rare smile. "All going well with you two, then?"

"Very. How're things with you and Blue?" Red asked. Green looked down, contemplating his answer for a few seconds before replying.

"Not good. She hasn't forgiven me for what I said about Silver before... You know."

"Sorry, I didn't think about that," Red told him. Obviously, that was a lie. The question would give him more information about the current relationship between Green and Blue, and disrupt his rival's focus a bit. "Have you tried telling her you didn't mean it like that?"

"You think she'd listen?" Green asked. "She won't even answer her phone."

"You think it's not worth _trying_?" Red countered. "I'll talk to her for you. Maybe I can help set up a meeting or something, when she's less busy."

"Right, thanks. She's working at the same place you do, isn't she? Yellow mentioned something about it."

"Yeah," Red said, nodding. "I figured working would take her mind off things. Sorry, can't tell you much more about it. Classified and all."

"It's okay, I understand. I can't talk about all my investigations for the Association either, so..."

"So we're in similar situations," Red finished, smiling at the irony of his statement. "I feel a bit sad, not being able to talk about anything with you anymore."

"It's just work we can't talk about," Green replied. "We still talk about everything else, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think we're done here. Let's get going before backup arrives. I'm not really in the mood for battles today... Want to go have some lunch?"

"Sure, I'll pay. What do you want to eat?"


	13. Chapter 13

"Thanks for letting me borrow this room, Green. I know you're busy and all."

"No problem," his friend replied with a smile. "I never use all the guest rooms at the same time anyways. I do have a waiting challenger though, so just make yourself at home."

"Sure, I haven't really been able to check out how the gym looks, apart from the combat areas, so I'll give myself a tour," Red replied.

"I can get someone to show you around, if you wish," Green offered, but Red shook his head.

"No need to disrupt someone, I'm sure I can find my way around."

"Right. See you soon then."

"See you," Red replied, unlocking his suitcase. "Oh, by the way. I'll be going out with Yellow tonight." Green nodded to acknowledge that he had heard, then disappeared around the corner and down to the combat arena. After making sure his friend was really gone, Red popped open the suitcase and withdrew a slender device. While humming softly, he turned the device on and connected it to his Pokégear.

Still humming, he slowly spun around, taking care to aim the device at the walls around him. The indicator on his Pokégear remained quiet and still. With a sigh, Red shut off the device and put it in his pocket. "No survelliance at all then Green," he mumbled to himself. "So trusting..."

With the detector once again online, he walked around in the gym, stopping every now and then to hide tiny microphones and spy cameras. Being state of the art equipment, the bugs would not be detected by electronic scanning or psychic Pokémon... or so the Team Rocket scientists claimed, at least. It would most likely take Green a long time to find the things, since he would not be looking for them specifically.

Once he had finished placing the microphones, he went downstairs and to the battle area. Green was easily beating a youngster that was trying to use a Charmander with little success. The battle ended quickly, and Green shook hands with the youngster.

"Just come back when you have more training," Green told the kid. "Try to take on some other gyms first, catch some more Pokémon, travel a bit more. Just a Charmander and Rattata you barely have gotten to know yet will not be enough here." The youngster nodded determinedly and rushed from the gym, cradling the Charmander in his arms, no doubt headed for the Pokémon Center.

"Reminds me of us," Red commented, as Green turned to face him.

"Reminds me of _you_," Green shot back, smirking. "Not lacking enthusiasm, only the skills and training to match it."

"Very funny," Red replied, smiling back. "I beat you in the league, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but-" Green started, before being interrupted by the door opening again. Yellow entered, smiling and waving.

"Ah, my girlfriend arrives," Red said, causing Yellow to blush slightly. Green nodded and placed his Pokéballs back into their holders at the back of the gym.

"Great. I've got a couple of things to talk to her about," he said, indicating for her to come.

"Oh? What?" Red asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Local town event, nothing special," Green said, giving a dismissive wave. "Can't tell you, as it's supposed to be secret. Me and Yellow are on the planning commitee."

Yellow opened her mouth to ask what Green was talking about, but shut it again when she saw his stern gaze. "Could you wait outside, Red?" Green continued. "I'm afraid this is another thing I can't tell you about, for now. You'll get a formal invitation to the event if we manage to pull it off."

"Yeah sure," Red answered. "I'll be right outside."

After exiting the gym, he seated himself on a bench a few meters away from the door. After making sure no one was watching him, he plugged a couple of headphones into his Pokegear and set it to recieve transmissions from the newly planted surveillance bugs in the gym. Thankfully, he had been lucky.

_"- not going to spy on him, I refuse! He's my b-boyfriend!"_

_ "I'm not asking you to _spy_ on him. Just tell me if you notice any suspicious behavior, something out of the ordinary."_

_ "And that's not spying?"_

_ "Yellow, it's for his sake as well! He seems a bit... off balance, distracted. I'm concerned something might've happened. I need his help in the coming months, and I need to know I can still trust him."_

_ "Why don't you just _ask_ him?"_

_ "Sure. And because he's Red, he'll just tell me he's fine no matter what."_

There were a few moments of silence before Yellow replied.

_"Fine. If he acts weird, I'll tell you. Nothing else. _Nothing._"_

_ "Thank you, Yellow. I should let you get back to your date night. Have fun."_

_ "Yes, thank you. Bye."_

Red pulled the earphones out and put them back in his pocket, then strolled over to the door to wait for Yellow to exit. Green was using his own girlfriend to spy on him, no matter what he wanted to call it. He should have expected it. Neither Green nor Yellow could understand what he had to accomplish, not yet.

Hopefully they would come to realize he was doing the right thing when he eliminated the Masked Rockets and brought the nation firmly under his own control, stopping all the petty gang wars that had threatened to pull the regions apart, sometimes literally. When he was done with the sneaking and had brought peace, they would understand. He was sure of it.

"Red?"

"Oh, Yellow. Sorry, I was thinking about other things," he answered, laughing. "You and Green done with your meeting?"

"Yeah, let's go," she answered. Red took her hand and smiled. Obviously, she didn't like what Green had told her to do. That meant he was still the primary influence in her life. He hoped she would join him in bringing peace. If it came to it, he didn't think he would be able to kill or even imprison her... Even if he had to.

"What do you want to do, then? Dinner and a movie?" he asked, pushing away all negative thoughts. There would be a time for that, but not now. Right now, Yellow was all that mattered.


	14. Chapter 14

When Red returned to the gym later that night, Green was busy on the phone. Red gave him a nod and went to the shower. He could listen to a recording of the conversation later, see if it was anything important.

After he was done showering, he dressed and went downstairs. He found Green in the kitchen, eating a sandwich. "Busy evening?" Red asked, nodding towards it. "Hope you at least had a proper dinner?"

"Don't worry about that," Green said with a smirk. "As a gym leader, I have good knowledge of what I need to eat to keep a proper diet. I haven't burnt any calories today, so I don't need more than this."

"You did have a battle earlier."

"Hardly a challenge," Green said dismissively. "Besides, there are more important matters than dinner right now."

"Such as?"

"I was just talking to Ruby. He and Sapphire are coming to Kanto. Someone assaulted Sapphires father, professor Birch, during a break-in at a lab here in Kanto about two weeks ago. They've been preparing to come here ever since they got the news, but didn't think to call ahead until now."

"Where will they stay?" Red asked, careful not to let his annoyance show. "What are they planning to do? What do they think coming here will achieve? Are there any clues as to who the attacker was?"

"Lt. Surge was seen in surveillance cameras at the lab, along with a few other Team Rocket members."

"Was Birch badly wounded?" Red asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Not really. A couple of burns, a bump on the head. Sapphire was apparently worried about it though, and Ruby promised to help her."

"Well, good to see you'll be getting some help with your investigations then," Red laughed. "I must admit I'm not very good at things like that."

"I do prefer to walk alone on such things, but I guess you should never turn down backup. In case of a fight, they _are _both quite capable."

"Yeah, the last thing we need is another death," Red commented. Green looked at him for a heartbeat, then nodded.

"I must admit, I was surprised at the way Silver was killed. Him and Giovanni were both capable fighters... However, I guess if they were taken by surprise it wouldn't matter. Either that, or someone betrayed them."

Red felt as if a chunk of ice had fallen into the pit of his stomach, freezing him from the inside. Had Green found it all out? Was this a test? He knew that Green was suspicious by nature, but he did not think his rival could have found proof of something like that.

"What do you mean?"

"There's always power plays going on in criminal organizations like that. Giovanni and Silver may have been in someones way. Some subordinate that had enough of _following_ orders..."

"Like who?" Red countered. "Surge seems to be the only person powerful enough in Team Rocket at the moment, and it wouldn't be his style."

"It is of course possible Surge was used by someone else," Green said, shrugging. "Some powerful ruler we haven't encountered before, maybe. There's still so much about their organization we don't know about. I feel like the investigation isn't going anywhere. I should've returned right away to start it."

"Green, I'm sure it'll be okay," Red said, his voice lacking any enthusiasm. Green did not seem to notice.

"I really should have," Green mumbled. "At least then Blue would've seen that I cared. Now she seems to think I'm indifferent to Silvers death, to her feelings, to-"

"Green!" Red interrupted. His friend turned to look at him. It was the first time Red noticed how tired his old rival seemed. How... harmless. "It'll be okay. We'll find who did it. We'll make sure you and blue get close again."

He felt a sad tug at his heart. He really _did_ want Blue and Green back together. He really did want them to have a happy ever after. He wanted a future where he lived with Yellow in Viridian, with his friends nearby.

That was something that could never happen. Green would never agree with his actions, no matter how hard he tried to explain... Yet he had to do it. The alternative was too horrible to even consider. Hopefully, he would at least be able to talk Yellow into joining his side. Blue could help. Even if Yellow did not agree with his actions, she would understand them. He was almost certain.

And Blue... if Blue ever found out the truth, Red would _have_ to kill her. He could not live his entire life fearing he would get a dagger in the back. Those from other regions, he did not know yet. Ruby and Sapphire would be angry about Birch. Gold could perhaps be turned, as Red had trained him, but Crystal worked for Oak and-

"Red?"

"What?" Red replied, snapping back to the then and there.

"You were spacing out," Green told him, opening the fridge. "You do that more and more often, nowadays."

"Sorry, lots to think about."

Green simply nodded and took another drink from the fridge before closing it. "Good night. Don't stay up too late," he said, exiting the room. Red heard his footsteps grow quieter and quieter until they disappeared completely. A while later, he got to his feet and walked to his own bed in the guest room. He would have to make sure Blue was loyal to him as long as possible.

The best way to do that would probably be to tell her the true reason behind what he was doing... and how he was sure they would win. After all, she _was_ putting her life on the line. She deserved to know that she worked for a good cause, and what that cause was. His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was low he would break the news to Yellow and the others, when the time for that finally came...


	15. Chapter 15

Red returned the Team Rocket HQ a few days later, earlier than planned. He had wanted to stay with Yellow longer, but more pressing matters had prevented it. He sat down by the desk in the communications room next to his office, pressing the receive button. Blue was already waiting on the other end, and she looked angry and disappointed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning.

"Shield destroyed. No priority targets," she replied. Red nodded, understanding her anger. 'Shield' was the codeword for the Masked Rocket base. High priority targets meant Will and Karen.

"Secondary targets?"

"Two down, one on the way back," Blue reported. That was good, at least. Losing three higher ranking members would sting for the Masked Rockets, and having one to interrogate would be good for Red and his own team. While Blue was searching for Kanto bases, Janine was in Johto. She had found a smaller base there, but still no clue to where the HQ was.

"Are you coming back as well?" he asked, but Blue shook her head.

"No, we've found a second base outside of town. I'll report when done. Our electrical friend will return with the package."

Red smiled. They had no official codeword for Surge, but Blue did not like or trust the man, so she avoided saying his name if she could. It was a partnership born from necessity, just like his partnership with Team Rocket in general.

* * *

Surge returned with the captured Masked Rocket member just a few hours later, obviously having left long before Blue reported in. Red was unsure if he should reprimand her for the delay, or let it slip. He decided on the latter. She had been doing well, and he had not needed the information earlier anyways. Instead, he turned his attention to the man in the interrogation chair.

"Welcome," he said. The man gave him an angry glare, lips pressed tightly together. "Not feeling like talking? Too bad, that's what we're here for."

"The toxin is ready," Janine told him. She was standing next to a table by the wall, syringe in hand. She was barely recognizable with the lab coat, oversized protective gloves and face mask.

"Toxin?" the Masked Rocket gasped. "What ya mean _toxin_? I demand that you-"

"Demand?" Red asked, laughing. "No. You tell me what I want to know, or we inject you with this toxin. It'll give you _horrible_ pain. In the end, you'll be begging us for the small mercy of death. I truly hope we can avoid that."

"What? You're insane! Giovanni would never-"

"Giovanni is gone," Red interrupted, his voice now cold. "I run this place now, and I find it hard to believe Giovanni would _not_ torture someone if he had to. Actually, how would you know about that? Surge?"

"It is possible this man was in Team Rocket during the Giovanni era," Surge replied, shrugging.

"I remember you!" the man shouted. "I remember you! Please help me!"

Surge glanced at the man, his face a mask of contempt. Red knew Surge better than that though. The large man was uneasy. This was something far different from what they _used_ to do, before Red took over.

"Just tell me what I need to know," Red sighed, leaning against the wall. "Start with your name."

"Eric Gunt," the man muttered.

"Grunt?" Surge asked, laughing.

"Gunt!" the man wailed back, trying to turn towards Surge, who had walked around to stand behind the chair. "I've punched men for that joke in the past!"

"Good for you," Red said sarcastically. "Where is the Masked Rocket base?"

"You destroyed it," Gunt answered, pursing his lips. "You ruined everything I worked so hard for. Ruined it!"

"Not _that_ pathetic excuse for a base. The main one. The HQ."

"You think they'd tell me?" Gunt laughed. "I'm just a _grunt_."

"Janine, tell our friend about the toxin."

"It starts hurting after an hour. The pain has been described as equal to having needles pushed into every nerve ending on your body. After three hours, the victim's organs start shutting down. Small doses of antidote can prolong the time before that happens for up to four hours more."

"Well, that gives you up to seven hours of _horrible_ pain," Red commented. In reality, only the part about the toxin being extremely painful was true. The body would automatically flush it from the bloodstream after a few hours, expelling the leftovers as sweat and other bodily fluids. He would have prefered not to have to torture someone, but speed was of the essence. Once the Masked Rockets knew they had taken one of their higher ranking members prisoner...

"Where is the base?" Red asked again, while Janine injected the toxin. Gunt stared at him, his fear-filled eyes betraying the calm face.

"Go to hell," Gunt gasped, flinching. The toxin was starting to take effect.

"Tell me _where the base is_," Red repeated. Gunt tried to spit on him, but drooled on his shirt instead. His pupils dilated, and he gave a wordless scream of pain. Red almost smiled, knowing this particular battle was as good as won. He turned to Janine. "Increase the dose."

"Sir?" Janine asked, frowning. She had told him before they started that too large doses might cause heart failure. She was too diciplined to mention this in front of the prisoner, but she was clearly hesitating. Gunt, however, had turned a sickly grey.

"Please," he whispered. "Please don't. I'll tell you. I'll tell you, just... No more pain."

"Very good," Red said, nodding. The scare tactic had worked. "Give him something for the pain, Janine." She gave him a sour look, but did as told. Gunt blinked a few times, licking his lips.

"Listen, I don't know where the main base is, I swear!" the Masked Rocket told him. "I've got something just as good though, maybe even better!"

"Such as?"

"Coordinates for the Masked Rocket map and comm center in Johto," the man replied. "It's a place that will let you see most base locations and ongoing operations."

Red closed his eyes, nodding to himself. Such a place _could_ exist, if the Masked Rockets were less paranoid than his own organization. If it did, it would be the biggest mistake the enemy had done so far... and a very lucky break for Team Rocket. If he could get more men, he could take that base and launch secondary strikes against multiple enemy bases at once. Maybe they could even find the main enemy headquarters.

"Surge, take the coordinates from him and check them. Put our guest here in one of our largest cells, he's earned it."

"Yes, sir. And you?"

"I've got some planning to do. I'll call you when I need you," Red replied, sweeping from the room. He had not originally wanted to use torture, but now he was happy he had. If the information they had gotten was correct, it might have won them a major victory. "The ends justify the means," he sighed to himself, heading for his office. It would be another long night.


	16. Chapter 16

Blue leaned back in the dusty, blue armchair that occupied a corner of her small Saffron City office. She coughed violently as she inhaled some of the dust particles, then leaned forward again, making a mental note to reprimand the cleaners. It has been tough to realize neither Will or Karen was at the base she shut down, and even tougher being forced to give up the chase. However, Red had told her it was important she returned, that he had to talk to her.

The door swung open, and a woman entered with a small cart filled with bottles and glasses. Blue frowned. She had been expecting Red. This was...

"Oh!" the woman gasped. Blue's eyes shot open.

"Sabrina?" she gasped. "I thought-"

The woman kicked the cart towards her, and she barely had time to pull her legs up before it smashed into the armchair, depositing its load of bottles over her. She yelped in shock and surprise as cold liquid spilled and soaked her. A few bottles broke, leaving long cuts in the arm she held up for protection. She looked up to see Sabrina staring at the floor, eyes wide, face radiating hate.

"Think you can just come and take over!" the woman snarled. Her Alakazam was out, launching an attack. Blue cartwheeled over the armrest. She landed badly, stumbling and nearly falling over. She hit the wall with a crash, dropping Wigglytuff's Pokeball as she did.

She was about to give her Pokemon an order when Sabrina appeared less than a meter away, somehow having crossed the room in a single step. Alakazam using Teleport, no doubt. The older woman grabbed her by the throat, slamming her against the wall. Wigglytuff was quickly knocked out by Sabrina's Alakazam.

"Thought you could just waltz in and take over after Giovanni?" Sabrina wailed, slamming Blue's head against the wall as she continued to squeeze her airways shut. Blue felt her vision closing, darkness pouring in. She flailed desperately, somehow managing to land a knee in the pit of Sabrina's stomach. Her throat was free again, and she drew a deep breath, grimacing at the pain.

"Not enough," Sabrina snarled, smashing her fist into Blue's face, cracking her lip.

"S-Sabrina, why are you-" Blue started, trying to win some time. A second later, it became apparent she did not have to. The door exploded off its hinges, knocking out Alakazam. Pieces of wall crashed to the floor around them.

"Hello, Sabrina," came Red's cool voice. Blue had never been so happy over hearing a voice before. Sabrina turned, her mouth gaping, but she had no time to do anything. Red lifted a hand, and Sabrina slammed into the wall, then fell to the floor, not moving.

Blue blinked a couple of times, clearing her vision. The dark spots from lack of oxygen were almost gone. Just outside what had been the doorway, Red was standing, dressed in all black. A familiar silhouette hovered in front of him. Blue blinked again, not quite sure she was seeing correctly.

"Mew?" she gasped, her voice as weak and confused as she felt.

"You've got a lot of nerve," Red continued, his attention still on Sabrina. "Coming in here. Attacking one of_ my _leaders, attempting to kill her... Thinking I'd fall for a simple trick like _playing dead_?"

"Worth a try," Sabrina gasped, her voice raspy.

"Really. Even if such a move only served to_ annoy_ me?"

Blue tried to get up, but her legs failed her, and she fell over again.

"Well, floor, looks like we're good pals now," she mumbled to herself, her head spinning as she tried once more to rise. Janine appeared out of nowhere, taking her by the arm and helping her up. She looked up to see Red recall the Mew he had just used, while Sabrina was being carried off by several Team Rocket members.

"Are you okay?" Janine asked. Blue opened her mouth, her first instinct being to snap at the other woman, to be angry. She closed it again, managing to focus both her eyes on the other woman, when she realized it: they were both in the same situation. Just like her, Janine had had someone taken from her by Will and Karen. Both had Red to help get revenge.

"Yeah, thanks," she said, trying to smile. "Just some scratches, and a smack on the head."

"It was an assassination attempt," Red said, walking over to the two women. His face was clouded by anger. "Whoever let her in will pay for it. Janine, go oversee the transfer to the basement cells. Make sure she won't be able to escape. Blue, are you well enough to talk with me for a while?"

"Yes... Yes, I think so," Blue mumbled, turning to the armchair. It has been smashed, and what was left was filled with shards of glass. She sat down on a chair instead. Red waited until everyone else had left before talking again.

"First off, do you have any questions?"

"Where did you get that thing?" Blue asked immediately. "It's a Mew, isn't it?" She looked at the Pokeball it occupied, a white sphere covered in colored diodes.

"Yes, and no. There are many Mew in this world. This is _the_ Mew."

"What?" Blue replied, frowning. She fliched as the expression shot a spike of pain through her head. She really needed to get that looked at when their talk was done.

"This is the first Mew to ever exist. The oldest and strongest," Red continued. "It was frozen in a crystal for millennia, until I released it. I used this special Pokéball, which is infused with Mew DNA to create a special bond. This technology is brand new, and _very _secret."

"Then who made it?" she asked, though she was fairly certain she already knew the answer.

"Kurt, obviously. I was able to get the Mew DNA needed from Mewtwo. Being cloned from one, the genetic code is similar enough, with a few modifications."

"This is why you went on a journey?"

"No. I went to train, but... Things change. This is a _result_ of that journey, just as my decision to take over Team Rocket after Will and Karen assassinated Giovanni and Silver," Red replied. Blue's eyes narrowed, and he hoped she had not noticed the small lie.

"Tell me," she demanded. He nodded.

"Very well. You do, after all, have the right to know the truth..."


End file.
